Leather and Libraries
by MyPhoenixLament
Summary: 100 Draco x Hermione drabbles written for drabbles100 on LJ. Whatever your favorite genre, you're certain to find it here! Now COMPLETE.
1. Beginnings

**Author's Notes: **This is a collection of Draco/Hermione drabbles that I did for drabbles100 on LiveJournal. One or two will be posted per day until all one hundred are up. (I started writing them in October, and I've only just finished last night. Enjoy!

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**Title:** How Very Rude  
**Prompt:** 001 - Beginnings  
**Word Count:** 202  
**Rating:** G

The streets of London were nearly empty that morning. Puddles rested undisturbed, lining the gutters and curbs, and small birds hopped about them happily. Young Hermione Granger laughed as they splashed in and out of the products of last night's rain. She strained at her mother's hold on her hand for a moment, hoping to get a closer look, though soon found it to be too strong.

She glanced up and realized that there was someone coming down the sidewalk toward them, so briskly so that after a few moments, she discovered that it was not just someone, but two someones: a man and a boy, who looked to be about the same age as herself. They had the same pale blonde for hair, though the man's was much longer.

As the pair approached, Hermione stuck out her hand to the the boy. "Hello, I'm Hermione Granger, it's nice to meet you."

He looked at her as though she had suddenly sprouted wings. "Hullo," he muttered after a lengthy silence.

The man clasped the boy's shoulder, and nudged him forward. "Come, Draco," he commanded. Draco looked at his feet and shuffled off, falling in step beside the man.

Hermione wrinkled her nose. _How very rude!_


	2. Middles

**Title:** Bookworms  
**Prompt:** 002 - Middles  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G

"Don't stop there, Mummy, it's only the middle of the story," the girl protested, tugging on Hermione's sleeve.

"But it's time for you to sleep, Evie. I've already read more than I should have."

Evie put on a pout, and her mother chuckled. Next to her on the bed, there came a weary sigh.

"Trust _my_ children to end up as bookworms," Draco grumbled, prodding the next page with his wand.

"What's a bookworm, Daddy? It sounds gross. I don't want to be gross."

Hermione smiled. "Bookworms are very wonderful things, Evie. Don't mind Daddy, he really likes them too."


	3. Ends

**Title:** Not Always Knowing  
**Prompt:** 003 - Ends  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G

"So this is how it ends, then," Malfoy sighed, pointing his wand at her chest. Hermione had her own wand raised to the level of his eyes.

"As it would seem," she replied, without a hint of malice in her tone.

"I've been told to kill you."

"I know. But you won't. Otherwise, I suppose you might have done so already."

He smirked. "You always know everything, don't you?"

"Not always. At the moment, for instance, I don't know if you're going to run away on your own, or let me come with you."

"That depends on what you decide."


	4. First

**Title:** Of Loathing and Love  
**Prompt:** 004 - First  
**Word Count:** 106  
**Rating:** PG 

"You're so insufferable!" Hermione screamed, her face red enough to rival that of an incensed Weasley. Draco clutched at his once pale cheek, which was now sporting an angry mark in the shape of a handprint. His expression was twisted into a snarl, though he said nothing.

"Why don't you think of someone but yourself for once, Malfoy!" she continued. "Let everyone live their own lives instead of secreting yours onto the world. You're a _Prefect_! You're supposed to be setting an example for the younger students, but instead, you insist upon terrorizing—"

Abruptly, she was cut short as his lips came down upon hers.


	5. Last

**Title:** Socks  
**Prompt:** 005 - Last  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

"This is the last time I'm going to tell you, Malfoy," Hermione said through clenched teeth. "Stop leaving your socks on the floor."

Draco looked at her, mildly interested. "Really, I thought we were past surnames."

"We were, until you decided to throw your socks all over the flat!" She gestured around her.

He peered over the magazine he had been reading. Sure enough, there were socks scattered everywhere. Although…

"Look at that one," he said with a nod. "It's pink."

"So?" she demanded.

"It's yours."

"No, it—" She bent to have a closer look, and her cheeks flushed.


	6. Hours

**Title:** Distractions  
**Prompt:** 006 - Hours  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

It takes about an hour, perhaps two, for her to realize that she has accomplished absolutely nothing this morning. Naturally, she knows that it's his fault, because really, he's quite distracting. He likes to tickle her leg with the soft part of his quill when he thinks she isn't looking, and he breathes hot clouds into her ear because he knows it will annoy her. But even when he's silent and actually studying like he's supposed to, she finds herself glancing his way. He's her thoughts now, more than Arithmancy or Defense Against the Dark Arts could ever truly be.


	7. Days

**Title:** Anniversary Countdown  
**Prompt:** 007 - Days  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

"Two more days," Hermione said happily after looking at the calendar.

"Until what?" asked Draco.

"What do you mean, 'until what'?" she demanded crossly.

Draco stared at her blankly.

"Our first anniversary, you great prat!" she cried, sliding between the bed sheets until she was as far from him as possible.

"Ah, yes, of course. How foolish of me."

"How foolish indeed," she snorted.

He rolled to his side, uncomfortable. How was he to find a decent way of celebrating on such short notice?

"Good night, Draco," she muttered. She turned off the light, leaving him to worry in darkness.


	8. Weeks

**Title:** The Best Week of the Year  
**Prompt:** 008 - Weeks  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

There were many weeks in the year, but only one was the most important. It was, of course, the first week of the summer holidays. The reasoning was simple: In that single week, nothing was expected of Draco. Mother and Father understood that, after a tiring year of schoolwork, detentions, and taunting inferiors, seven days of relaxation was justifiable. What they had not understood about this year was that he had chosen to bring Hermione Granger home with him. And after that had been established, they did not understand why.

Why? Well, in all honesty, he really did not know.


	9. Months

**Title:** Baby  
**Prompt:** 009 - Months  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** PG

"You mean," Draco said, "that we have to wait _nine_ months?" He glanced at the shimmering pink potion once more.

"Yes, that's generally how it works," Hermione replied.

"'Generally'?"

"Yes."

"Meaning that it might be less?"

"Or more."

"Or less."

Hermione sighed. "Yes, Draco, but nine months is ideal. We want it to be healthy."

"Oh."

"Besides, we need to prepare. We'll have to take courses, buy food and toys, nappies, blankets, bottles… This is a very large ordeal we're about to take part in; there's an unbelievable amount of work involved."

Draco paled. "I hope the baby comes early."


	10. Years

**Title:** The Meeting of Three  
**Prompt:** 010 - Years  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G

"You would think," Pansy ranted, "that after all these years, Draco would remember my birthday!"

"That's not necessarily true," Luna reasoned. "Perhaps you never told him in the first place."

"No," Pansy scowled. "I tell him every year. At least, I used to."

Luna gasped. "The Nurtwangles must have got to him! This is dreadful, we need to find some nargles—"

"I'm sure he's fine," Hermione interjected at Pansy's horrified look. "Pansy, when did you say your birthday was?"

"April twenty-eighth. Last week."

Hermione looked uncomfortable.

"Spit it out, Granger," Pansy growled.

"It's just that… that was our anniversary."


	11. Red

**Title:** Crimson Enchantress  
**Prompt:** 011 - Red  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

Her gown is red, a shining crimson against the white of her skin. It clings to each curve her body takes like it has always been a part of her. When she walks, it is as though she floats, for the hem ripples and flows around her feet. She moves her arms in an unheard rhythm, the curls of her hair moving as though exposed to wind.

When she takes his hand, she is his enchantress, his seductress, for whom he would fall to his knees at her whim. She has cast her spell, yet she does not even know.


	12. Grey

**Title:** Always Grey  
**Prompt:** 012 - Grey  
**Word Count:** 119  
**Rating:** G

Draco's eyes are grey, like the lake on the Hogwarts grounds in winter. Sometimes they are frozen, and this frightens her, even though she knows she is safe. She is never worried about herself.

Sometimes, though, his eyes are blue, just like the lake after winter has passed. These are rare occasions, and she treasures them like nothing else. Blue brings him to life, in both look and manner, or perhaps it is these that draw out the blue. It is too complicated for even her sharp eyes to discover and confirm, one way or another.

But Hermione does know that no matter what she says, or how happy he appears to become, his eyes will always be grey.


	13. White

**Title:** Painting as Punishment  
**Prompt:** 013 - White  
**Word Count:** 107  
**Rating:** G

"You missed that spot over there," Hermione said, gesturing. "That small patch of white, do you see it?"

Draco glowered at her and pointed his want in the direction she was looking.

"No! No!" she cried, tugging the instrument out of his hands and replacing it with a paintbrush. "You're in _detention_! That means no magic! And I thought I confiscated this when you came in."

"If you weren't so concerned about the white on the walls, you might have seen me take it," he muttered. "Not that it matters now."

"Oh, hush, and finish painting. Madam Pomfrey said she wanted the whole room painted before dinner."


	14. Black

**Title:** Black  
**Prompt:** 014 - Black  
**Word Count:** 117  
**Rating:** PG

Draco is dressed in black, but it is not for mourning. He knows that black becomes the paleness of his skin and hair. Hermione has told him that his ebony robes contrast with his grey eyes and draw out the blue. He takes her for her word; he doesn't spend his time before a looking-glass, debating the hue of his irises.

There are certain types of black she doesn't like. She quietly asks him to remove his dark but faded grey robes, and those that have little sheen. Lifeless is what she describes them as. Draco is secretly content to adhere to her requests; there have been enough lifeless things around them to saturate the entire world.


	15. Purple

**Title:** The Hair-Dyeing Mishap  
**Prompt:** 016 - Purple  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** PG 

"IT'S PURPLE!"

"It's more of a lavender—no, no, it's magenta now—"

"I don't care what _hue_ it is! Just change it back!"

"Therein lies the problem. You see, I don't know precisely what you used to create this reaction. Speaking of which, why exactly—"

"It's none of your business what I use to maintain my dignity!"

"Don't you read the labels on the bottles?"

"I don't habitually have buck-toothed fiends leaving potion bottles in the shower!"

"It's necessary to store them in a damp place!"

"Store them where you bloody well please—just not with my shampoo!"


	16. Blue

**Title:** The Inevitable Return of the Hair-Dyeing Mishap  
**Prompt:** 015 - Blue  
**Word Count:** 123  
**Rating:** PG  
**Author's Note:** The sequel to the previous drabble. (Thus these two chapters are switched in order.)

"Blue suits you, you know."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I think I prefer your hair blue. The dirt-brown was becoming rather dull."

"Only because you deliberately switched the labels of my shampoo and potion—did you even look to see which potion you took?"

"Of course not. _You_ didn't hesitate to put whatever you pleased in the bath."

"Yes, but—but what I did was entirely an accident!"

"Ah well, now bygones can be bygones."

"'Bygones'? What sort of nonsense—Draco, your hair is still purple! Did you really think that upsetting me would be an incentive for me to fix it!"

"What do you mean? You said it couldn't be done!"

"It's difficult to say."

"Well… at least we're even."

"You dolt."


	17. Brown

**Title:** An Alternate Meeting  
**Prompt:** 017 - Brown  
**Word Count:** 123  
**Rating:** G  
**Summary:** What if it hadn't been Ron that had the dirt on his nose?

"You've got dirt on your nose," a bushy-haired girl said, pointing. "That brown spot, just there."

Draco twisted his expression into a snarl. The girl didn't flinch as she stood in the doorway of the compartment.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"Neville's lost his toad, so I'm helping him look for it. Have you seen one?"

"A toad?" he snorted. At his sides, Crabbe and Goyle guffawed.

"Have you seen one or not?"

"Of course not," he replied. "We don't let filth in here. It's not _wanted_."

An insulted look crossed her face, and she stalked off with her chin held high. As soon as she had left, Draco began rubbing his nose, serenaded by a soft croaking from beneath the seat.


	18. Green

**Title:** Undeserving, Undesirable  
**Prompt:** 018 - Green  
**Word Count:** 126  
**Rating:** G 

Hermione knows full well that being green with envy is purely a Slytherin trait. But she supposes that it could be excusable for a Gryffindor, because she's feeling envious of a Slytherin, though it's a Slytherin she never thought she'd feel even a pinch of jealousy for. This Slytherin is named Pansy, though she is a far cry from her floral namesake. That's what is most infuriating. Pansy is the most undeserving, undesirable girl she knows, yet she is permitted to cling to Draco and have her actions viewed as perfectly acceptable. Hermione has no desire to cling to Draco; she's not the type to be so needy. She just wishes that she could talk to him in public without a frown shot in their direction.


	19. Pink

**Title:** The Unmentionable Punishment  
**Prompt:** 019 - Pink  
**Word Count:** 107  
**Rating:** G

"What did the snarky old git have you doing this time, Hermione?"

"You say that like I've had detention with Snape on multiple occasions, Ron."

"Come off it, Hermione. Everyone knows you haven't. But Ron and I _have_."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just that—well, of course you know Malfoy was there, he's the reason I got detention in the first place."

"So what did you and Malfoy have to do, then?"

"W-well, we didn't _have_ to, er… we…"

"Hermione, are you _blushing_?"

"I, er, I have to go. I left something back in detention."

"Blimey, Harry, what d'you reckon's so embarrassing about scrubbing cauldron bottoms?"


	20. Colourless

**Title:** Veritaserum  
**Prompt:** 020 - Colourless  
**Word Count:** 127  
**Rating:** G 

Veritaserum is colorless; it has no taste or smell, and even the most skilled wizards have difficulty detecting it. It is best to simply be careful and not present an opportunity for it to be slipped into one's drink.

Draco is neither the most skilled nor the most careful of Hermione's peers, and so it is easy to slip a drop or two into his water while the Slytherins are having Quidditch practice.

She waits beneath the bleachers until he comes to collect his things, and holds her breath while tilts his head back and takes a long drink.

"Why do you hate me?" she asks in a whisper.

For a moment, she is worried that it didn't work, for he looks directly at her.

"I don't."


	21. Friends

**Title:** The Truce  
**Prompt:** 021 - Friends  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

"Truce?"

He stared at her, certain she had finally gone mad. Granger had her hand extended toward him, and was expectantly attempting to catch his eye. Draco glanced over his shoulder, briefly wondering if she was really directing all of this at someone behind him.

"Excuse me?" he asked, more out of shock than rudeness.

"Well, it's just that we're nearly adults now. I thought perhaps we ought to be civil and act our ages."

"Don't think I'm ignorant of the fact that you're plotting something—"

"I mean it."

Draco considered, then hesitantly shook her hand. "Truce," he agreed.


	22. Enemies

**Title:** Wayward Spells  
**Prompt:** 022 - Enemies  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G  
**Author's Notes:** Remember: Just because they're drabbles doesn't mean you oughtn't review. Need I remind you that there are pygmy puffs' lives at stake? ;-)

"Look what you've done, you stupid Mudblood!"

"What _I've_ done? _You're_ the one that stepped too close—"

"Well then you should have been paying attention, shouldn't you? We surely wouldn't want the professors' prized student sent off to Azkaban for being ignorant. What a laugh that would be!"

"Don't be absurd, Malfoy! Everyone knows you're constantly trying to sabotage my career. You're simply jealous because I've got a future and you do—don't touch me!"

"Are you sure you've got a future, Granger? What, not so brave now, are you?"

"You don't frighten me."

"_Au contraire_, Granger, _au contraire_..."


	23. Lovers

**Title:** Lovers Ensnared  
**Prompt:** 023 - Lovers  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

They are lovers. She knows this by the gentle caress of his hand upon her cheek, a hand that is so often raised in anger—but never at her.

Their lover's embrace is soft and warm, and their fingers intertwine. Their grasps tighten when they think that no one can see, in empty corridors and classrooms. Sometimes, on the coldest, most melancholy days of the year, they go outside, just because they know that no one will look for them there.

They are lovers, ensnared in a time and place and state of mind that is supposed to be forbidden.


	24. Family

**Title:** Malfoys and Grangers  
**Prompt:** 024 - Family  
**Word Count:** 123  
**Rating:** G

"I suppose now that we are family, we are expected to socialize." Narcissa Malfoy glanced at her husband for confirmation of this, though as he had not yet moved or spoken, she received no response. With a sigh, she moved her gaze to her new relatives, who still looked mildly frightened. If they were not constantly as such, Narcissa might have laughed at the Grangers in an unladylike fashion. They _were_ muggles, after all.

"Holidays will suffice," Lucius said, unusually gruff.

"And perhaps afternoon tea"—Lucius coughed—"on occasion, of course," Narcissa added hastily.

The quartet stood in awkward silence for a moment, until Jane Granger stepped forward and pulled Narcissa into a tight embrace. Lucius looked stricken, but John Granger merely smiled.


	25. Strangers

**Title:** Hearts, Memories, and Minds  
**Prompt:** 025 - Strangers  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

They're practically strangers now. She can look at him and he can look at her, good and long, and they might not even recognize each other. But then again, sometimes they don't even recognize themselves. They've taken to avoiding mirrors and averting their eyes to the ground when they travel the streets. So perhaps they've passed a dozen times or more, over and over again, without even knowing that a familiar—or not so familiar anymore—face is close by. Though even if they did realize this, they might not even care. Hearts, memories, and minds can change too much.


	26. Teammates

**Title:** Opposing Partners  
**Prompt:** 026 - Teammates  
**Word Count:** 128  
**Rating:** G

"Right foot _back_, Granger, not forward!" Draco exclaimed in irritation. "I'm supposed to be leading, and you're supposed to be less domineering for once in your life."

Hermione set her lips into a thin line and tightened her grip upon his shoulder. All the same, she complied with his command and stepped backward with her right foot. As she did so, Draco stepped forward, all too suddenly. She stumbled, caught off guard, though she had certainly danced before. Not like this, though it was hardly an excuse.

"Dance partners are teammates," he continued with a sigh. "They are _not_ opposing each other."

"I didn't know you were such an expert," she retorted.

Draco merely raised a pale brow and smirked. Then he spun her outward in a twirl.


	27. Parents

**Title:** Upon the Park Bench  
**Prompt:** 027 - Parents  
**Word Count:** 150  
**Rating:** G

The park bench was nearly empty. Nearly, in that but one lonely being occupied it. One being out of the hundreds that must have been milling about the park. Hermione made toward this being, a man with long hair of a pale blonde.

She greeted him politely and prepared to turn away—after all, it wasn't rude to watch one's children, even if one's husband was already doing the same. Yet her eyes caught in the man's—a mixture of grey and blue.

"Malfoy!" she exclaimed, gasping in astonishment.

"Hermione," he acknowledged with a nod.

"Draco," she immediately amended. The name sounded foreign upon her tongue. "Fancy meeting you here."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, and Hermione followed his gaze. She was startled to find a blonde-haired girl immersed in the sand with her son; both were laughing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Draco smile.


	28. Children

**Title:** Prelude to Family  
**Prompt:** 028 - Children  
**Word Count:** 136  
**Rating:** G

"Have you ever thought about children?" she asked thoughtfully, leaning against him.

"Children?" he asked. "Of course. They happen to be everywhere and are thus inescapable."

She laughed. "No, I mean, have you ever thought about having children of your own?"

He choked. "What?" he sputtered, pushing her upright.

"Well, they're really not _that_ bad," she chided disbelievingly. "You know, you oughtn't be so opposed to them."

"I'm not... _opposed_-"

She snorted.

He looked affronted. "I'm simply not prepared to consider... after all, I mean... fatherhood is... it's something I'll have to be ready for when - if - the time comes."

She turned so that she was facing him, and nestled against him. "Whenever the time comes?" she smiled.

"I suppose..." He looked uncertain at her expression.

She grinned into his chest. "Then I hope you're ready now."


	29. Birth

**Title:** If the Time is Right  
**Prompt:** 029 - Birth  
**Word Count:** 108  
**Rating:** G

The walls are cold in Azkaban, as though they are carved from ice yet transfigured into stone for the sole purpose of inducing discomfort. Draco sits with his back upon the one that is nearest to where the window should be—but isn't, of course. He hopes that, wherever Hermione is, she is warm. She should be warm, though, if the scratches into the icy walls are any indication of the passage of time. If his time and her time are the same, she is at St. Mungo's, rested and safe. If the time is right, he has missed the moment in which he first became a father.


	30. Death

**Title:** Crookshanks  
**Prompt:** 030 - Death  
**Word Count:** 137  
**Rating:** G 

"I-I can't do it," she sobbed, her voice broken. The shovel was in her hand, the metal tip only slightly pressed into the garden ground.

He came behind her and encompassed her grip in his. He could feel her shaking violently against his chest.

"We have to bury him, Hermione," he said gently, steadying her as she nearly collapsed.

"Oh, this is so ridiculous," she sniffed wearily. "I'm a grown woman, and Crookshanks was just a c-cat…"

"He wasn't just a cat, Hermione, don't lie to yourself. Trust me, doing so doesn't help any," he added, almost bitter.

"I know," she choked, casting an anguished glance at the small wooden box at her feet.

"Come on," he said firmly, tightening their grips. "We'll do it together."

She nodded, unable to speak, and slowly they began to dig.


	31. Sunrise

**Title:** A Sense of Freedom  
**Prompt:** 031 - Sunrise  
**Word Count:** 149  
**Rating:** G 

As ridiculous as it sounds, Draco has never before seen a sunrise. The drapes at the Malfoy Manor are always drawn, trapping the darkness inside, and the Slytherin common room has no windows; how can there be a portal to the outside world when it is underground? Gryffindor always books the Quidditch pitch for early morning practices—not that Slytherins are foolish enough to covet this.

That is why, when Hermione leads him to the Astronomy Tower, there is a trill of excitement within his chest. This is not merely because she's decided to break the rules for his sake, or is holding his hand like she'll never let it go. At this point, it doesn't matter if a sunrise isn't anything like Hermione has described. It's because, for once, all that matters is that someone is granting him an experience, which indirectly grants him a sense of freedom.


	32. Sunset

**Title:** Into the Sunset  
**Prompt:** 032 - Sunset  
**Word Count:** 116  
**Rating:** G

Hermione regarded him with her hands resting upon her hips. A slight breeze played at the ends of her hair and at the ends of his. She bit her lip, attempting to contain her grin, though it was difficult. How could _he_ maintain such a straight face?

"Alright," she sighed, relenting. "Let's go, then."

Instantly, he seemed to melt, and the thin line into which his mouth had shaped itself fell away into a smirk. When he held out his hand to her, she took it. "Shall we ride off into the sunset?"

"Well, we're hardly—AAHH!"

Draco pulled her behind him on his broom, kicked against the ground, and sent them flying toward the sun.


	33. Too Much

**Title:** Too Much  
**Prompt:** 033 - Too Much  
**Word Count:** 121  
**Rating:** G

"This is too much," she murmured, sliding down the wall until she was crouched upon the floor. It was dark in the corner, but that was why she had gone there. In the darkness there were shadows, and shadows could mask the fact that it was not in her power to stop her tears.

Everything was simply too much to handle. There were so many things to consider, so many people that would likely never speak to her again if she was not careful to watch her actions.

Suddenly, the door opened, and the bathroom was filled with light. Hermione squinted, and Draco rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.

"I expected as much," he muttered. "It's only a wedding, you know."


	34. Not Enough

**Title:** Craving Pomegranates  
**Prompt:** 034 - Not Enough  
**Word Count:** 109  
**Rating:** G

"THERE AREN'T ENOUGH POMEGRANATES IN THIS HOUSE!" Hermione bellowed from the sofa.

Draco looked at his wife, and then at the great bulge in her belly. Why was it that pregnant women were always so irritable and demanding?

"Last time," he sighed, "you wanted all fruit removed from the vicinity."

"Are you telling me that I'm not permitted to change my mind?" Her voice broke as if in a half-sob—which it probably was.

In a panic, he conjured a bowl of pomegranates and set it onto the table in front of her. "There we go."

"These aren't pomegranates!" she wailed after taking one look at them. "They're papayas!"


	35. Sixth Sense

**Title:** A Feeling  
**Prompt:** 035 - Sixth Sense  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G  
**Author's Notes:** Inspired by a Lucius/Narcissa fan art piece by makani on DeviantArt.

The night is calm, and the sky glitters in a panorama of perfection. Night birds call to one another from the depths of the trees, and the air smells sweet.

All of a sudden, the quietude is shattered by a loud shriek. Hermione sits up in her bed, her skin gleaming with a layer of sweat. She pants for no less than a minute, clutching her hand to her chest.

Something has happened, she can feel it, though she is not sure what. Something that makes her wish he was beside her now instead of so many perilous miles away.


	36. Smell

**Title:** Cooking Surprise  
**Prompt:** 036 - Smell  
**Word Count:** 102  
**Rating:** G

"What's that horrid smell?" Hermione exclaimed as she entered the kitchen. Her eyes watered slightly as she glanced around the room. After a moment, she withdrew her wand and vanished all of the smoke. This revealed an extremely irritated Draco near the oven, wearing a floral apron around his middle.

"What on Earth?" she muttered, staring at this curious display.

Draco gestured to a bowl containing something that looked to be the consistency of tar, but green in color. It also appeared to be secreting a buttery liquid.

"I don't know how you tolerate muggle cooking," he scowled. "But happy anniversary anyway."


	37. Sound

**Title:** An Irritating Disturbance  
**Prompt:** 037 - Sound  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

_Sniff_

Draco doodled lazily upon the corner of a piece of parchment; it was either Crabbe or Goyle's, though he didn't care.

_Sniff_

He looked up, his quill still poised in mid-stroke.

_Sniff Sniff_

Irritated, he set down his quill and began to search for the source of the noise. Colds were flourishing that season, he knew, but surely mild illness was no excuse for such an annoying sound.

_Sniff_

He winced. There it was again. He scanned the room for the culprit, and soon found himself glowering at the occupant of the table closest to his.

Granger. Of course.


	38. Touch

**Title:** A Puddle of Surrender  
**Prompt:** 038 - Touch  
**Word Count:** 103  
**Rating:** PG

She will quiver at the slightest of his touches. Not because she is afraid, but because he renders her powerless. With a brush of his fingertips against her cheek, she falls to the Earth in a puddle of surrender. When his breaths fleck against her shoulder, she sinks deeper into the ground. And as his lips trail up the plane of her stomach, she dies and travels to the afterlife and back. All within the blink of his grey-blue eye.

Everyone thinks that Hermione Granger is strong; that her will bends for no one. How they would weep to see her now.


	39. Taste

**Title:** A Violent Shade of Green  
**Prompt:** 039 - Taste  
**Word Count:** 120  
**Rating:** G

"Don't you want to taste it?" Draco inquired, holding a wooden spoon out to her at arm's length. Batter that seemed to have instantaneously congealed clung to its end in a large clump.

Hermione eyed it with a slight frown. "Er… I'd really rather not, if you don't mind."

Draco crossed his arms and set his mouth into a pout. Although, the mass of batter wobbling upon the spoon somewhat ruined the effect. "What if I _do_ mind?" he demanded.

"Look, I'm a bit late for—"

The moment she parted her lips, Draco shoved the spoon into her mouth. A beat passed, and then another. And then, all very suddenly, she seemed to turn a violent shade of green.


	40. Sight

**Title:** Diagon Alley Gossip  
**Prompt:** 040 - Sight  
**Word Count:** 112  
**Rating:** G

"Have you ever _seen_ such a thing?" Pansy whispered scandalously behind a gloved hand.

Daphne followed her gaze and, upon spotting that to which her companion was referring, promptly let forth a gasp. "This is completely unheard of!" she whispered back, her eyes darting about as though she meant to catch any eavesdroppers who might have happened to be lingering about them.

"Oh, _indeed_!" Pansy continued, her tone scathing and brisk. "It's hardly proper for them to be mingling with _our_ society."

"For her, at least," Daphne reasoned.

"But they're inseparable now, aren't they?" She wrinkled her dainty nose in disgust. "And besides, what sort of Slytherin marries a Mudblood Gryffindor anyway?"


	41. Shapes

**Title:** Boggart in the Corridor  
**Prompt:** 041 - Shapes  
**Word Count:** 276  
**Rating:** PG 

The corridors were dark, for it had become after-hours long ago. Draco was quiet as he traversed the castle, though there was not truly a need for him to do so; he was a Prefect, after all, and was supposed to be on patrol.

As he rounded a corner, he suddenly heard what sounded like someone crying softly. Smirking to himself at the prospect of giving detention to a blubbering first-year, he headed toward the origin of the noise.

Much to his surprise, it was not a first-year at all, but another Prefect: Granger. Strangely, he did not know whether to taunt her or to slip away before she could see him.

He was not given the opportunity to decide, for at that moment she looked up. He said nothing, merely watched her as she watched him; both were wary of each other. Then her eyes slid away to where they had been before

Draco furrowed his brow and stepped closer, peering into the shadows upon which her eyes were so fixed. He almost gasped at what he saw. Potter was sprawled out, unmoving, with a frightened look within his otherwise vacant eyes.

"Potter's… dead?"

She shook her head. "R-riddikulus," she choked weakly. Instead of vanishing, Potter became Weasley. Then he understood; it was a boggart.

He strode forward and stepped before it. Instantly, its shape was changed, and he stifled his sudden intake of breath.

"Riddikulus," he commanded, and then the boggart was gone. Before Granger could see what shape it took.

"There are many things to fear for now," he muttered, half to her, half to himself, as he walked away, leaving her behind.


	42. Triangle

**Title:** Part of the Shape  
**Prompt:** 042 - Triangle  
**Word Count:** 122  
**Rating:** PG

Hermione finds love triangles to be ridiculous, most especially now that she herself is perched in the corner of one. It's not really her fault, though; she really has tried to choose, and indeed has very nearly succeeded in doing so. But Ron won't let go, it's as simple as that. Even though he hasn't any reason to. Then again, what business does he have, knowing for whom she sneaks away at night? It's her decision, whose hand she chooses to hold beneath the table, most especially when it isn't his.

Hermione hates love triangles, but she hates whatever it is that she's in more. There are two sides held closely together and another that can never be part of the shape.


	43. Square

**Title:** The Square Root of Four  
**Prompt:** 043 - Square  
**Word Count:** 128  
**Rating:** G

"And that is why the square root of four is two," Hermione finished with a flourish. She regarded the chalkboard for a moment, watching a large, emboldened _2_ hop about ecstatically just after an equal sign. Then she turned, beaming, to face Draco.

"This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!" he sputtered, much to Hermione's dismay. "I fail to see why a number can be transfigured into a square when, in fact, it has always been a four. Unless, of course, by putting that disfigured box around it—"

"But that's not how it works!" Hermione cried, interrupting.

"Furthermore," he said, pressing on with a scowl, "it is impossible even for magically enhanced numbers to spontaneously grow roots. I thought this was an Arithmancy lesson, Granger, not Herbology class."


	44. Circle

**Title:** Gathering Potion Ingredients  
**Prompt:** 044 - Circle  
**Word Count:** 176  
**Rating:** G 

"We're walking in circles!" she cried in frustration, casting a desperate glance around her. Every discernable direction looked precisely the same, the only nuance being the way in which the trees happened to bend.

"We are _not_," he told her stubbornly. She might have believed him if this was not the twenty-second time he had said this. Twenty-second, because she had counted.

"Well, if we're not, then why haven't we come across any knotgrass? It's only found when you travel to the center of the forest, which is where we were allegedly headed to an hour ago, seeing as we're only here to gather—"

He abruptly turned and brandished his wand in her face. "Shut it, Granger," he growled. She didn't blink.

"We're colleagues now," she said dismissively. "You should call me Hermione."

His upper lip twitched, but he said nothing. Begrudgingly, he fell into step behind her as she led the way to wherever she thought it was they were going. Next time, he would not be so easily recruited into gathering potion ingredients.


	45. Moon

**Title:** Stupid Questions  
**Prompt:** 045 - Moon  
**Word Count:** 107  
**Rating:** PG

"Can you see the face on the moon?" Hermione asked hopefully.

Beside her, Draco settled into the grass. "No."

"You didn't even look," she accused.

"No."

"Well, then, can you see the rabbit?" she continued. "Look, there's an ear just there, and another right beside it, and—"

"No. I see no pathetic rabbit, nor is the moon anything but a moon."

"Can you at least see—?"

"_No_," he interjected rather forcefully. "_Do_ stop asking these stupid questions."

"Do you still love me?" she asked quietly at length.

"Of course I do," he replied without missing a beat. "I told you to stop asking stupid questions."


	46. King

**Title:** Checkers  
**Prompt:** 046 - King  
**Word Count:** 110  
**Rating:** G

Draco contemplated for a moment, furrowing his brow as he thought. Then, suddenly, he grasped one of the small black pieces and sent it hopping across a line of squares. "King me," he said with an air of triumph.

Hermione sighed in defeat. "Why don't we play something worthwhile?" she asked.

"Such as?"

"Such as chess," she replied, crossing her arms primly.

"I don't like chess," Draco told her, quirking an eyebrow. "And it's your turn. Hurry up with it or I'll move _for_ you."

"I don't think you quite grasp the concept of the game," Hermione said slowly.

"What's not to grasp," he smirked, "when I've _won_ the game?"


	47. Heart

**Title:** Enough to Fill the Both of Us  
**Prompt:** 047 - Heart  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** PG

"I can feel your heart," Hermione murmurs as she rests her palm against his chest. Draco releases an exhausted groan and shifts until he is on his side, facing her.

"I put it back just for you," he mutters groggily as he envelops her hand in his. "Or unfroze it. Whichever you prefer."

"I thought you never had one in the first place," she jests, smiling in the darkness.

He chuckles. "I don't believe I can deny that." He traces her fingers—which still remain above his heart.

"Then I suppose I had enough to fill the both of us…."


	48. Diamond

**Title:** Wish Upon a Star  
**Prompt:** 048 - Diamond  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G  
**Author's Notes:** A poem this time, even though I absolutely despise poetry. I really don't know why I wrote a poem.

There is a little star that twinkles  
Like a diamond in the sky  
That she sees just from her window  
When dusk and dawn are nigh

Each time it there is waiting  
Like an old and loyal friend  
And she always is debating  
If they should speak again

But then every time she does decide  
To wish upon this shining star  
For one who near her should reside  
Yet is now from her so far

And then one day the doorbell rings  
So she must wonder who  
But it is a face not surprising  
For her wish has come true


	49. Queen

**Title:** Ridiculous or Romantic  
**Prompt:** 049 - Queen  
**Word Count:** 131  
**Rating:** G

"What's that there?" Hermione inquired curiously, looking askance at the scrap of parchment before Draco. As soon as these words had left her lips, Draco hurried to cover it with his hand.

"Nothing," he said hastily.

"It must be something," she insisted, "since you're attempting to hide it from me."

"I'm not hiding anything," he replied, steadfastly stubborn.

"Of course. As you said, you're hiding _nothing_."

Several moments passed and nothing more was spoken between them; and so Draco relaxed, his shoulders sagging and his grasp relenting. Yet just as he did this, Hermione seized the parchment from beneath his fingers.

"Laugh if you want," he challenged as she eyed it carefully.

"_'Hermione is my Queen'_?" she questioned after a pause. "I don't know whether to find this ridiculous or romantic."


	50. Joker

**Title:** Her Confession  
**Prompt:** 050 - Joker  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

Hermione isn't a joker. She's spent enough time with the Weasley twins to know that she has little talent for that sort of thing. She knows she's clever, though; everyone has told her so, so she supposes it must be true. But Fred and George are… witty? They're skilled at thinking up peculiar things on their own. Hermione recites and comprehends, but she's not creative enough.

And so when Draco asks her if she's joking, Hermione doesn't know if she should be flattered or hurt. But Hermione isn't a joker, and she doesn't lie, especially about this: she loves him.


	51. Water

**Title:** Innocent Siren  
**Prompt:** 051 - Water  
**Word Count:** 107  
**Rating:** G 

She is a siren, yet innocent, for it is not by her will that he is drawn to her. He is a gentleman when he can bear to be, and has always been respectful of certain things, and so he knows that he should look away. Yet she is bewitching, as she swims in water so clear he can see the rocks inlain in the sand at the bottom.

Her skin is lily-white, and her hair floats in an auburn halo around her head. Her eyes are closed and her lips are pursed in satisfaction. The water frames her body in a picture of perfection.

He gulps.


	52. Fire

**Title:** Camping  
**Prompt:** 052 - Fire  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G

"This is nice, isn't it?" she asked.

He nodded, gazing at the star-spattered sky with eyes that reflected with firelight. The air was chilled as summer nights often can be, and all around them, crickets and owls joined in a soft symphony, conducted by the crackling of the logs as they burned.

She drew herself closer to him, rubbing her hands together. "I'm really glad you came, you know. I didn't think you'd appreciate the idea of muggle camp—"

"Hermione?" he began with a slight sigh.

"Yes?" She looked up expectantly.

He put his finger to her lips. "Shh."


	53. Earth

**Title:** Weeding  
**Prompt:** 053 - Earth  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G

Draco crossed his arms as he watched Hermione, who was on her knees in the middle of the vegetable garden. Every so often, she would glance up at him as though to demand that he help her. And just as often, he would quirk an eyebrow at her as if to reply that Malfoys did not, in fact, reduce themselves to weeding. Although, that meant that she, too, should refrain from doing so. But she didn't seem to quite grasp that concept.

"You've got dirt on your knees," he pointed out needlessly.

"It'll come off in the bath."

Draco winced.


	54. Air

**Title:** Suspicions and Want of Air  
**Prompt:** 054 - Air  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G

"Is something wrong, Draco?"

"What? Oh, no, of course not."

"It's just that you look a bit pale."

"I'm always pale, Hermione, I thought you might have noticed by now."

"You're acting exceptionally nervous…"

"Imnotnervous!"

"Draco Malfoy, I demand to know what you have done to render yourself as such!"

"You should eat your dinner before it becomes too cold. This restaurant is quite expensive."

"Draco, what have you done? Don't change topics on me!"

"I've done nothing! (Not yet…)"

"Whatever do you mean by—oh. What… what's that?"

"Hermione…"

"Oh my."

"Will you marry me?"

"I—I can't breathe!"


	55. Spirit

**Title:** Watching  
**Prompt:** 055 - Spirit  
**Word Count:** 114  
**Rating:** G

He watches her, a silent cloud beside the window that she never will look up to see. But he knows that it is best this way; it is best that she lets him go. A clean break, as it has been called, is what will keep her alive.

He wishes that his own break had been cleaner.

He watches her when she laughs sometimes, which has lately become a regular occurrence. And he watches when she cries, which slowly happens less and less. But now, it is he who has to desire to cry, for he wishes she would watch him. Could watch him. But Draco knows that Hermione no longer believes in ghosts. 


	56. Breakfast

**Title:** A Mother's Nightmare  
**Prompt:** 056 - Breakfast  
**Word Count:** 124  
**Rating:** G 

"I had the strangest of dreams last night," Narcissa Malfoy tells her son over breakfast.

Draco feigns interest; he does not care to hear of his mother's nighttime imaginings.

"It was about you and that Mudblood girl, what's her name—?"

"Granger?" he supplies. Suddenly, his interest is not such a farce.

"I suppose so," she sniffs, and sips her drink. "But you know, this dream was so terrible, I admit it nearly caused me to wake!"

"A nightmare, mother?"

"Perhaps," she agrees. "After all, dreaming of one's son presenting flowers to such an unsuitable person can only be conceived in the darkest corners of one's mind."

Draco grimaces, hoping she will not notice the bouquet he has purchased and is saving for later.


	57. Lunch

**Title:** Luncheon Matters  
**Prompt:** 057 - Lunch  
**Word Count:** 141  
**Rating:** G

Lately, lunch had become an enormously complicated affair. Far too complicated for the likes of Draco, who thought that meal times were meant to be the simplest part of the day—aside from sleeping. At least, this was how it had been when his father was the master of Malfoy Manor. House elves had taken it upon themselves—with a bit of prompting—to prepare the most excellent of lunches. Draco's most important decision had been in regards to which monogrammed napkin he wished to use.

Now, however, at noon, the Malfoy Manor was in utter pandemonium. This was due, in one part, to the children's hunger, and due in three parts to the lack of house elves. And it was due, for the most part, to the fact that Hermione insisted on taking care of luncheon matters by herself alone.


	58. Dinner

**Title:** Draco's Revelation  
**Prompt:** 058 - Dinner  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

The most infuriating thing about Granger was that she wasn't ugly anymore. Draco didn't think his pride would allow him to call her beautiful, but she was certainly far more attractive than he had ever expected her to be.

He watched her through the shop window, scrutinizing her every move. The way she tossed her hair when she laughed caused him to feel particularly repulsed by himself.

Suddenly, she turned, and her mirthful eyes met his before he could look away. Then he smirked at her; whether she liked it or not, he was going to ask her to dinner.


	59. Food

**Title:** Denial  
**Prompt:** 059 - Food  
**Word Count:** 115  
**Rating:** G

"Are you simply going to stare at it, or are you going to eat it?" Draco demanded irritably.

Hermione looked up at him, surprised. "I'm not staring at it; _I'm_ reading, whilst _you_ seem to be the one staring. And I'll have you know, it's quite disconcerting."

"What's disconcerting," Draco retorted, "is your lack of appetite."

"If you want the cake, you can have it," Hermione said, pushing her plate toward him. He warily eyed it askance.

"I don't want it, I'm merely making an observation."

Hermione smiled with an air of mischief and slowly brought a forkful of cake to her lips. Draco's eyes narrowed and he dragged his gaze away from the sight.


	60. Drink

**Title:** Just This Once  
**Prompt:** 060 - Drink  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** PG-13, for alcohol abuse 

"Here."

Hermione looked up, yet could hardly see; her eyes were too puffy and glazed with tears. She could still hear, however, and so she recognized the voice. From the shape of the blurred form before her, she discerned that Draco Malfoy was offering her something.

"Firewhiskey," he explained. "After a while, it won't hurt so badly."

She blindly took the bottle from his hand and pressed the opening to her lips. The taste burned, but the pain lessened. She would drink away her sorrows, just this once, for everyone that would have told her it was wrong was gone.


	61. Winter

**Title:** When It's Winter  
**Prompt:** 061 - Winter  
**Word Count:** 104  
**Rating:** G

When it's winter, Draco and Hermione meet in secret; the darkest corners of the library or the Room of Requirement are best for this. Hogsmeade is far too conspicuous, though they wish this was not so. Still, it's always quiet and comfortable, no matter their location. They can watch the snowflakes or gaze into the fire when the weather is calm.

It's Draco's job to bring mugs filled with cocoa so deliciously warm; Hermione still won't take advantage of the house elves. It is _her_ task to assure that they won't be seen. Though sometimes, like today, she likes being responsible for the mistletoe.


	62. Spring

**Title:** Allergies  
**Prompt:** 062 - Spring  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G

"I can'd breade," Draco complained, rubbing angrily at his nose. Hermione, with a sigh, swatted his hand away.

"You'll simply make it worse if you keep doing that."

"Allergy symbdombs can'd be worsdened by rubbing bone's bose," he retorted.

"They can if you've got pollen on your hands," she reminded him, as infuriatingly logical as she always was.

"I don' douch flowers," Draco said. Surely she knew that he wouldn't so much as allow a plant within the vicinity of the manor come springtime.

"But have you been petting Crookshanks?" she persisted.

Draco glanced at the aforementioned cat and frowned.


	63. Summer

**Title:** Gallivanting  
**Prompt:** 063 - Summer  
**Word Count:** 102  
**Rating:** G

"It's a beautiful day, don't you think?" Hermione breathed, spinning in a circle upon the grass.

"Too hot," Draco grunted from his chair beneath the shade of a great oak. He regarded her with a half-closed, sleepy eye, pretending not to notice the healthy glow of Hermione's cheeks, or when her skirt floated above her knees.

She turned to him with her lower lip protruding in a slight pout. "It's summer. What did you expect?"

"I expected to stay indoors rather than gallivant about in the heat."

"I'm not _gallivanting_," she protested, and then spun in another circle. Draco suppressed a smile.


	64. Fall

**Title:** She Shivered and Blushed  
**Prompt:** 064 - Fall  
**Word Count:** 226  
**Rating:** G

"I'm really pleased with SPEW's turnout so far," Hermione said as she walked briskly beside Harry and Ron. The latter disguised his sigh by coughing violently into his hand, and Harry remained silent; it wouldn't be fair to discourage her, even if the subject had become the least favorite amongst the residents of Gryffindor Tower.

"I've only _just_ convinced—oh!"

Harry looked over in alarm as Hermione's speech was abruptly cut short. In surprise, he watched as she fell forward, too quickly for him to respond.

Hermione shrieked, bringing her hands up to cushion her fall.

A fall that never came.

Harry felt Ron bristling, his hand diving into the depths of his robes for his wand. "Let her go, Malfoy," he growled, edging forward carefully. Malfoy stared at the pair coldly, and then glanced at Hermione, whom he had caught a hair's breadth above the stone floor of the dungeons. She was looking at him oddly, as though a thought was just occurring to her. The look made Harry uneasy.

"I could have let her fall," Malfoy told them plainly. "Next time, she won't be so lucky. She'll crack her pretty skull. But if you insist…" The boy released her, and as he did so, his fingers brushed against Hermione's wrist. Harry felt himself hoping that Ron wouldn't notice the way Hermione shivered and blushed.


	65. Passing

**Title:** Passing Redundancy  
**Prompt:** 065 - Passing  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

There were never verbal exchanges when they passed each other in the halls, though there were other ways through which they could convey meaning. Her favorite method was a subtle collision at the shoulder; that way, it would appear as an accident. He preferred to keep his hands clean, and so a glare saturated with loathing sent her way would suffice.

But these tasks soon became wearisome for both parties. Collisions became nudges and glares became bored glances. What was the worth of touching and looking because of hatred? What was the point when even redundancy had lost its appeal?


	66. Rain

**Title:** When the Sky Falls  
**Prompt:** 066 - Rain  
**Word Count:** 111  
**Rating:** G 

Draco likes the rain. The way it smells just before the first drop begins to fall, the way it feels as it dampens his skin; these are reminders that in the end, everything is forgiven.

Today, he is inside, gazing through a window whose glass is covered in narrow rivulets of rain. An almost-but-not-quite smile is tugging at the corners of his lips. Hermione is outside, just beyond the windowpane. She is dancing in the rain, her hair clinging to her face and her clothes clinging to her skin.

He stands and pauses by the door, contemplating. Then he pulls it open, and steps under the falling sky to join her.


	67. Snow

**Title:** Snow Angels  
**Prompt:** 067 - Snow  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G

"What are you doing?"

Draco froze, his limbs spread wide across the snow. He needed to think quickly…

"I was hit from behind," he said gruffly, making a pained look. "Wasn't expecting it."

Hermione furrowed her brow, then her lips slipped into a smile. "Why did you fall backwards, then? Surely your face was supposed to be buried in the snow, not your hair."

"Well, the wind was blowing…"

She crossed her arms. "There's nothing criminal about making snow angels."

He scowled. "There wasn't until you had to come along."

She dropped into the snow beside him without another word.


	68. Lightning

**Title:** Haunted and Alone  
**Prompt:** 068 - Lightning  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

The Malfoy Manor is too quiet, now that he is gone. She does not remember noticing this many shadows before, nor does she recall looking frequently over her shoulder, thinking she has heard footsteps. Portraits glare from inside their frames, even though they do not move. She is haunted by creaking floorboards and wavering candle flames, even when there is no rush of air.

With each new bolt of lightning that flashes across the sky, her heart gives a great start. The widows are illuminated with unearthly light, and she swears that each time, she can see his face within.


	69. Thunder

**Title:** He Yells Like Thunder  
**Prompt:** 069 - Thunder  
**Word Count:** 108  
**Rating:** PG

When he yells, it is like thunder. Thunder that shakes the very foundation of Malfoy Manor as though it is in the midst of a storm. She is thankful that he does not yell often, does not shout at her. Not in the way he did when they bickered as children, nor in the way that is common with husbands who forget that they are loved. Who forget that they have children, and forget that they are free men.

Draco forgets sometimes, yells like thunder sometimes. But other times, his voice is as soft as the rain that kisses and ripples upon the surface of the pond outside.


	70. Storm

**Title:** Storm Experience  
**Prompt:** 070 - Storm  
**Word Count:** 116  
**Rating:** PG

Rain lashes at a slant against the windows of the castle, windows that can show no light because the storm has completely darkened the sky. The grounds, however, are not completely black, for there is a small pinprick of illumination moving across the grass. It is difficult to see from the Gryffindor tower; still, Hermione knows the identity of this persistent yet foolish light.

Wind and rain beat against his body, but Draco does not care; he likes storms, even if Hermione says he's foolish for this. He likes to experience them, challenging the earth to strike him down.

It never will, though. He's confident of this.

He spreads his arms widely and closes his eyes.


	71. Broken

**Title:** Clockwork  
**Prompt:** 071 - Broken  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

"It's not quite _broken_," he assessed, examining the tangle of cogs and pieces that had once constituted a clock. "I'm sure that if these just go here…" He stuffed several screws into the center, and began fiddling with the minute and second hands upon the face. Draco paused for a moment as he waited for something to happen.

Nothing happened.

"Er, perhaps…" He prodded the clock violently with his wand. Suddenly, it began to smoke slightly, and soon caught on fire.

"You haven't any idea what you're doing, do you?" Hermione asked as she entered the room.

He didn't reply.


	72. Fixed

**Title:** Old-Fashioned Fixings  
**Prompt:** 072 - Fixed  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G

"You see? I've fixed it, just as I promised."

"That's wonderful, Draco, thank you!"

"Although I fail to see why you couldn't have done it yourself. Unless, of course, you were named Brightest Witch of the Year by mistake…"

"Well, I… It's the principle of it, really. You're my husband, and therefore are supposed to fix things for me."

"What sort of inebriated Muggle would conceive such a notion?"

"It's not _just_ Muggle, you know. I thought that Purebloods were—and are—exceptionally old-fashioned. You, yourself, should have been witness to such _notions_."

"…Well, I did fix it, didn't I?"


	73. Light

**Title:** Lingering Light  
**Prompt:** 073 - Light  
**Word Count:** 139  
**Rating:** PG

Draco groaned and covered his eyes with his palm. Then he rolled to one side, heaving his body as best he could in the early hours of the morning.

"Hermyknee," he sighed groggily. "Turnov thligh…"

He heard the mattress creak as—presumably—Hermione seated herself at the edge of the bed.

"What was that?" she inquired, smoothing his hair gently.

"The light," he repeated, this time more coherently, and her hand stopped, her fingers frozen in the process of tracing his ear.

"What about it?"

"Too bright," he croaked.

"Sorry," she apologized, "but I've got to finish this report."

When she left, he wished that she hadn't. The light was still on, after all, and he was awake, so why couldn't she have lingered to preen him a bit longer?

Draco smiled to himself. She _did_ have good hands…


	74. Dark

**Title:** Petty Fears and Favors  
**Prompt:** 074 - Dark  
**Word Count:** 189  
**Rating:** G

"Hurry up, Granger," Draco said irritably. It was late, and Prefect duties had only just ended for the night. Yet the Gryffindor was walking slowly in front of him, only a few paces ahead, and each time he stopped, so did she, as if waiting for him, or stalking him (but in reverse). Just as odd was the fact that, instead of migrating toward the Gryffindor Tower straightaway, she was progressing deeper into the Slytherin dungeons.

"Don't be stupid, Mudblood," he sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but—"

"It's dark," she whispered, and she crossed her arms protectively over her chest in a highly un-Grangerish manner.

"You're afraid of the _dark_?" he demanded in disbelief. The corners of his mouth twitched dangerously.

Graner didn't respond, merely sniffed.

_Pathetic_, he thought gleefully, whilst shaking his head. But as amusing as it was, he needed to shake her off lest she follow him into his common room.

Draco reached out and grasped her shoulder roughly. "If you tell _anyone_," he threatened, "it's your precious Potter who'll pay."

Granger nodded mutely as he steered her up the next stairway.


	75. Shattered

**Title:** Picking Up the Pieces  
**Prompt:** 075 - Shattered  
**Word Count:** 120  
**Rating:** PG 

"I'm sorry." Hermione's lip quivered, and her eyes were glazed with a veil of tears. She hid her trembling hands behind her back, leaving small stains of blood on the ties of her apron. The plate lay shattered upon the floor, the crystal flecked with red.

Draco said nothing at first, simply glanced from the plate to Hermione and back again.

"That was—"

"—an heirloom, I know," she murmured miserably.

He looked up, his eyes hard. "Priceless," he finished, his gaze boring into her. "No magic can touch it; it's now worthless." He swept from the room.

Hermione wiped her eyes, though she knew this would eventually pass. All she had to do was pick up the pieces.


	76. Rebirth

**Title:** Hearts Reborn  
**Prompt:** 076 - Rebirth  
**Word Count:** 114  
**Rating:** G 

Hermione never thought she could learn to love again, after losing so many in the war. Her friends, her family, even acquaintances; all had fallen or disappeared. It was a foolish notion to entertain, yet she could not help but think that they were gone because of her. Everyone that she had cared for, no one else, had suffered.

But then she had seen him, a haggard hero crossing the vast expanse of the battlefield, coming to her because she was the only other survivor. Even if before it all began they were enemies, they had no bitter words. All they could do was embrace, for through the war, their hearts had been reborn.


	77. Paralysis

**Title:** The Permanent Sticking Charm  
**Prompt:** 077 - Paralysis  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** PG-13

"I can't move!"

"What are you talking about, you stupid Mudblood, of course you can move!"

"You bastard, you can't honestly believe that I would want to be stuck in the same room with you, much less be stuck sitting in your lap!"

"Get off of me!"

"I've already told you, you prick! There's something preventing me from going anywhere!"

"Well, get rid of it, then!"

"I'm trying! But it's a bit difficult seeing as I can't hold a wand!"

"Try harder!"

"_You_ try! Honestly, who would put a Permanent Sticking Charm on your stomach?"

"You mean this is _permanent_?!"


	78. Disease

**Title:** Like a Disease  
**Prompt:** 078 - Disease  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** PG

He is like a disease that she has contracted and cannot rid herself of. He consumes the entirety of her life, and she can think of nothing else. He infects her with a single touch, getting underneath her skin until he is the blood which runs through her veins. Each day, she gets sicker and sicker, yet this only makes her more alive. He is blurring her vision and making her weak. Her body is aflush with heat and her fingers tremble. Yet for once she is finally feeling.

He is a disease and she does not want the cure.


	79. Agony

**Title:** Crutiatus  
**Prompt:** 079 - Agony  
**Word Count:** 103  
**Rating:** PG

"CRUCIO!"

An agonizing pain courses through her body as though her veins are boiling with fire. She hears someone screaming, but it does not register that she is merely hearing herself.

Each time the curse is stronger, and the Dark Lord's cackles grow, like kindling added to an already roaring flame. Eventually, she must look away, burying her head in her hands; she could not see anyway, for her tears are coming in a steady flow.

The Death Eaters do not care about forcing her to watch anymore. They are too engrossed in the infliction of pain before them as Draco is broken.


	80. Healing

**Title:** These Wounds  
**Prompt:** 080 - Healing  
**Word Count:** 108  
**Rating:** PG

"You're bleeding," he said quietly, nodding toward the swollen gash across her chest. She grimaced, leaning against the sturdy tree trunk.

"I know," she whispered.

"Does it hurt?"

She nodded. "Do you have your wand?"

He scowled, procuring what looked like a broken twig. "No."

She bit her lip and tore the hem of her shirt, ripping off what became a small bundle of cloth. Then she staggered toward the stream, bending when she reached it to wet the fabric.

She touched it to the wound only a moment before she cried out in pain.

He took it from her hands. "Let me do it."

She didn't protest.


	81. Blind

**Title:** Wandering About the Dungeons  
**Prompt:** 081 - Blind  
**Word Count:** 178  
**Rating:** PG 

"Why does it seem that every time I find myself in your company, we become lost in a matter of moments? Though this time, I daresay you've outdone yourself. Not only are we lost, but we're practically blind as well."

"We're far from being blind, Malfoy…"

"Though we're definitely far from the castle."

"Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps it's _you_ that lacks a sense of direction?"

"This isn't about me."

"That's a shock. Isn't it always about you? Well, I suppose it's not about you when it's time to take the blame, of course. Because it surely cannot be your fault that we're wandering about the dungeons in the dead of night—"

"Only at your suggestion."

"Well, it certainly wasn't my suggestion that you get our wands _confiscated_ in the process!"

"_Well_, it's not my fault you had to feign idiocy the moment I needed your intelligence the most!"

"You're perfectly capable of thinking for yours—"

"What's that?"

"Where?"

"It's light! We're saved! I told you I'd get us out of here, Granger."


	82. Deaf

**Title:** Deaf  
**Prompt:** 082 - Deaf  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

"Are you _deaf_, Granger?" he demanded disbelievingly. "I believe I just asked you a question."

Hermione did not answer, nor did she look up to meet his frustrated gaze. She simply continued to read as if no one had spoken at all.

Draco snatched the book from her and dropped it onto the floor with a loud thud, which was magnified by the silence. Hermione clenched her fists, but otherwise did nothing. Her eyes continued to stare. She was too exhausted to tolerate him any other way.

She pushed her chair back, standing to leave. "Yes, Malfoy, perhaps I am."


	83. Lost

**Title:** Swamp Wanderings  
**Prompt:** 083 - Lost  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** PG 

Every turn, every object… one thing was indistinguishable from the next, like she was running blindly in a maze. Draco had said he would meet her there. Yet where was she, precisely, and where had he intended to find her?

The swamp bubbled near her but it was so dark, she could not determine just where it was. Her steps slowed; she did not want to fall into the thick water.

She couldn't cry yet, she was too brave. A Gryffindor. Not that her tears would listen to reason.

Suddenly, she heard something snap. Her screams were punctured by laughs.


	84. Found

**Title:** The Unsent Letter  
**Prompt:** 084 - Found  
**Word Count:** 115  
**Rating:** G

She found it in a drawer. Hidden. Obscured. Shadowed. There were scraps of parchment above it and below it, stuffed hastily into places in which they had never been meant to fit. If someone had asked Hermione what else the drawer contained, she could not have answered. After all, it was _his_. Had been his.

Draco had always scoffed at her organization. Her drawers and cupboards were neat and orderly, but they were never so important. Especially not now. Not when she needed to read the words that he had written for her, words that she had never seen. Not when he was cold in his grave and the drawers were all she had left.


	85. Missing

**Title:** Fleeting Concern  
**Prompt:** 085 - Missing  
**Word Count:** 108  
**Rating:** G

Draco Malfoy has been missing since the day of Albus Dumbledore's death. (That was three months and twenty-two days ago; I know because I counted last night as I lay awake, unable to sleep.) I shouldn't be worried about him, nor should I care that he's gone—or, for that matter, how _long_ it is that he has been gone for—and I don't. Not really. It's merely a fleeting concern of mine that waxes and wanes when my mind is empty—which it usually isn't. But I believe that this is enough. Someone should think about him, and remember him. Especially if no one else wants to.


	86. Choices

**Title:** Standing at the Edge  
**Prompt:** 086 - Choices  
**Word Count:** 113  
**Rating:** G 

There were many choices she had had to make in life, yet none so difficult as this. Here stood two men before her, each one offering her a rose: one was crimson, one pink. Both offered her a future, though they would be so different from each other.

She was standing at the edge of a precipice, looking down and considering. She could turn around to the familiar, or continue forward and fall into something she did not entirely know.

Together, the two men looked at her expectantly, hope within their eyes. She drew a breath, and then exhaled.

"I'm sorry, Ron," she said at last. She was ready to take the dive.


	87. Life

**Title:** Little Bit of Life  
**Prompt:** 087 - Life  
**Word Count:** 158  
**Rating:** PG  
**Disclaimer:** Title belongs to Craig Morgan. Yes, I listen to country music. Happy Mother's Day to any mothers out there!

Draco hadn't known what a barn actually was until he'd been forced to sleep in one that first night. He'd been disgusted at the sight of the slightly matted hay and had recoiled at the scent of it, but Hermione had simply crossed her arms and told him to live a little. Even though that was like the pot calling the kettle black, in a way—the pot being a very black pot—he had nestled into the yellow pile, trying not to cringe.

From that point on, he began to turn wild, and so did she. They were out of Britain, and so even the smell of the air was unfamiliar. There was new air, crisp and clean in the morning and heavy with heat in the afternoon. It didn't matter that they were on the run; each time a cricket chirped in the evening, they both knew they were living just a little bit of life.


	88. He

**Title:** Opposites Attract  
**Prompt:** 088 - He  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G

He is the quintessential example of everything Hermione despises, an embodiment of all the things she stands against. He is arrogant and vile in manner, and rarely thinks of anything but his own well-being. He taunts her, conversing with her condescendingly until she wants nothing more than to scream or hex him into oblivion and nothingness. He looks at her like she isn't worth his gaze, and sometimes he doesn't even glance her way.

This is why she doesn't understand her affection, and the way her heart beats so loudly when he walks by. All she knows is opposites attract.


	89. She

**Title:** Formerly  
**Prompt:** 089 - She  
**Word Count:** 105  
**Rating:** G 

She always tells him that he's insufferable, but of the two of them, he can fit this description less than she can. She's opinionated to the point of being… obnoxious, really, and it's disconcerting how much she knows—even if her knowledge will be completely useless in the end. What's more is that she's a Gryffindor and a Mudblood, the ultimate forbidden and unwanted fruit. Formerly, of course, and that simple word added before another is the most annoying thing of all. Because that means she _is_ wanted now, which might not be so terrible if not for the fact that she's wanted by him.


	90. It

**Title:** The Lake  
**Prompt:** 090 - It  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

Of all things on the Malfoy Manor land, the lake was Hermione's favorite, most especially in the summer months. It didn't matter if she was swimming in it or simply watching it from a window; it was beautiful, and there was nothing foreboding about it. The Manor was always very dark and austere, not welcoming in the least. But the lake was light, and so clear that she could see the bottom from far away. The bottom in which pebbles sparkled, no matter the weather, no matter if it was the sun or moon that was present in the sky.


	91. Birthday

**Title:** Bittersweet Greetings  
**Prompt:** 091 - Birthday  
**Word Count:** 103  
**Rating:** G

_Dear Draco,_

Your mother and I feel that, as today is your twenty-first birthday, we should ignore our disagreements for the present and wish you well. (Let it stand that we still do not approve of the choice you have made in regards to your wife, though we assure you that, should you separate yourself from her at any time, you will be welcomed back into Malfoy Manor.)

Best wishes,  
Father

"Bloody prick," Draco muttered beneath his breath as he crumpled the note in his palms. Hermione, who had been reading over his shoulder, fussed with his hair.

"Perhaps next year," she sighed.


	92. Christmas

**Title:** Dear Mrs. Weasley  
**Prompt:** 092 - Christmas  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

_Dear Mrs. Weasley,_

I'm writing to ask your permission to bring an extra guest this Christmas to the Burrow. I realize that no one has got along with him very well before, but I've made him promise to behave. I'm sure McGonagall has told you that Draco Malfoy is my charge for the next year or so, and since you invited me to stay for the holidays, I thought perhaps he could come along. I fully understand if you don't want him in your home, but I thought it best to ask. He needs some cheering up.

Best wishes,

Hermione


	93. Thanksgiving

**Title:** Dining Together  
**Prompt:** 093 - Thanksgiving  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G

The only sound was the scraping of cutlery against crystal, and that of silence itself, which was the most deafening noise of all. Hermione cast a nervous glance at her parents, who were in turn staring across the table.

Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy did not look up, simply kept their eyes upon the plates before them and attempted to restrain their sneers. They would endure such company for their son's sake—not that said company would be touching the silver!

Draco shot his parents each a reproachful glare apiece, and then shrugged at Hermione, who raised her eyebrows in response.


	94. Solstice

**Title:** Summer Solstice  
**Prompt:** 094 - Solstice  
**Word Count:** 200  
**Rating:** G

The sun was not setting. Draco languidly shifted his body so that he could glare at the clock above the mantle, as if to frighten the hour-hand into rushing forward. Today had been terrible from the very start, and so he was eager to greet the end of it, at which point he would tuck himself into bed and sleep until no traces of it remained.

Draco's brows knit themselves closer together in annoyance. The clock was undoubtedly broken, as the time it displayed was eight-forty-five in the evening.

The sun was still setting a quarter of an hour later when Hermione came into the living room and announced that she was going to turn in for the night.

"But it's the middle of the afternoon," he told her.

Hermione looked at him as if he had said something particularly befuddling. "Why ever would you say that?"

"The clock is broken."

She peered at it and then laughed. "It's not broken at all! The sun has yet to set because it's the summer solstice. Days will be longer now."

Somehow, Draco had managed to forget this. He buried his head in his hands and refused to look out the window.


	95. New Year

**Title:** Dawn of Difference  
**Prompt:** 095 - New Year  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** PG-13

The ending of the day was met by the dawning of a new year that cold December night. Draco watched from the window of Gryffindor Tower as the snow fell in soft flurries outside, nigh indistinguishable from the darkness from which they poured.

Beside him, with skin just as white as the snow, Hermione slept, her bare breasts rising and falling in an even cadence. Her hair curled and feathered around her shoulders, and her lips were parted as she whispered indecipherable words.

Draco touched her arm, his eyes never leaving the window. He knew this year would be different.


	96. Boredom

**Title:** Potions  
**Prompt:** 096 - Boredom (Writer's Choice)  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G 

Draco wasn't keen on paying attention that morning; the concept of being forcibly educated suddenly didn't seem so appealing. Instead, he focused his attention upon Granger, who was doing absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. That, of course, was the most interesting action occurring in the classroom.

He watched her from across the room until she turned, furrowing her brow, and… looked straight past him. She shook her head slightly as if she was trying to rid herself of the feeling that she was being watched—which, really, she was. Draco smirked. Perhaps the hour would pass quicker than anticipated.


	97. Fairytale

**Title:** Fairytale  
**Prompt:** 097 - Fairytale (Writer's Choice)  
**Word Count:** 117  
**Rating:** G

Sometime during the night, the Malfoy Manor had become a fairytale. No longer was it dark; instead, it gleamed brightly with magic that only a child's storybook could know. It even smelled differently, though at the same time, it still smelled of home.

Hermione walked quietly through the corridors in awe, feeling like a princess should—except that her gown was really a nightdress, and her crown was a tangle of curls.

And there just ahead stood her handsome prince, waiting to escort her to breakfast.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"It's lovely!" she exclaimed.

Then he linked his arm with hers. "And they lived happily ever after," he promised, and sealed it with a kiss.


	98. Beauty and Brains

**Title:** Beauty and Brains  
**Prompt:** 098 - Beauty and Brains (Writer's Choice)  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** PG 

"Malfoy, are you off your rocker? What makes you think Hermione's going to accept that sort of offer, especially after you've decided to ask our permission first?" Ron leaned into the palm of his hand, his eyes hardening by the moment. To his left, Harry said nothing.

The blonde Slytherin, seated directly across from them, sipped his firewhiskey. "I should think that it's quite obvious, Weasley, even to you."

"How's that?"

"Well, with her brains and my exceptional good looks, we're virtually unstoppable."

Harry snorted loudly into his butterbeer, and Malfoy quirked an eyebrow. "You'll see, Potter, mark my words."


	99. Revealed

**Title:** Past Revealed  
**Prompt:** Revealed (Writer's Choice)  
**Word Count:** 279  
**Rating:** PG

Diagon Alley was as lively and colorful as it always was as September crept closer and closer each year. Draco and Hermione walked side by side, her arm nestled in the crook of his, though the overcrowded streets and past the open shop doorways through which customers streamed. Draco's eyes flickered disinterestedly about the faces of each passerby, never focusing upon one for more than a moment. Hermione's eyes were bright, and her lips were graced with an even brighter smile that was infectious to everyone that saw her—except, of course, for Draco.

All very suddenly, (and most likely out of nowhere), a young boy came barreling toward them, missing Hermione by a centimeter. Draco, however, was not so lucky as to avoid a confrontation. The boy stumbled into him, tipping the tarnished brass scales which he was clutching in his arms.

"Watch where you're going!" Draco said gruffly, at the same moment that Hermione exclaimed, "Be careful!"

The boy—who could not have been older than eleven—looked up at the pair fearfully. "S-sorry," he stammered, "I wasn't—" Abruptly, he stopped, and his mouth began to open and close as if his lungs had been switched with gills. His eyes were fixed upon Draco's arm.

Hermione followed the line of his gaze and then gasped. A sharp end of the scales had caught upon the sleeve of Draco's robe, and had torn it. Now, revealed upon pale flesh for all to see was the Dark Mark. Quickly, Hermione repaired the damaged cloth with her wand and ushered him away from the boy.

"Let's go home," she whispered, no longer cheerful. Draco nodded somberly and they Apparated.


	100. Hidden

**Title:** Mutual Curiosity  
**Prompt:** 100 - Hidden (Writer's Choice)  
**Word Count:** 137  
**Rating:** G  
**Author's Notes:** Wow. The last drabble. I hope it doesn't disappoint! Thank you for all of the kind reviews, and thank you for reading!

She keeps herself hidden in shadows on Wednesday evenings, knowing that no one will discover her. But even if someone does, it hardly matters: she's a Prefect, and everyone knows she'll be Head Girl next September. This is the key. Draco is also a Prefect, and so they can sneak away at any time they desire to do so.

But they don't. It's not just any time. It's Wednesday nights at eleven-thirty-seven, because that's when the staircases shift and doors appear that won't be there but for another hour. And it's through these doors that they go, together only because of a mutual curiosity that they both possess and he despises more than he despises her. That's why it works, and will continue to work until someone discovers that they don't really have Prefect duties on Wednesdays.


End file.
